A factory explosion shakes the city of Illinois, killing at least one person: NPR

The authorities claim that one person died and that two other people still missing have probably perished in the explosion of a manufacturing plant located outside of Chicago. Four other people were injured in the explosion that occurred Friday night around 9:30 pm.

The blast occurred at the AB Specialty Silicones manufacturing and distribution plant, approximately 35 km north of Chicago, near the Gurnee-Waukegan border. Waukegan Fire Marshal Steven Lenzi told AP that it was "unlikely" that anyone had survived the blast, and said the crews now classify the searches as a recovery. Officials have suspended their searches to find missing employees due to concerns about the stability of the factory. Nine employees were inside the factory when the explosion occurred.

Authorities are still trying to determine the cause of the explosion, which broke the windows of the area and damaged at least five surrounding buildings. Residents in the area said the explosion had shaken their homes and that some people in southern Wisconsin had reported being hit by the blast, which had cut off power to about 1,000 people.

Megan Hener lives close to the factory and told the Chicago Tribune: "This shook our home and my home … it was huge."

Marilee Sanchez has been meeting with Dan Mihalopoulos, of WBEZ. "We were going in our alley. We heard a big boom. It looked like a bomb. It was horrible. It was scary. My husband was taking a shower and he said that he had almost fallen, because the house had trembled. "

The teams fought to contain the fire all night and urged residents to stay away from the area.